Najib’s latest “achievements” - two self-inflicted “black eyes” on Ides of March

The sixth premiership of Datuk Seri Najib Razak has achieved another “first” – two self-inflicted “black eyes” on the Ides of March, 15th March 2016.

On this Ides of March, Malaysia became international news for a double event – the arrest and deportation of two Australian journalists from ABC “Four Corners” and the closure of the Internet news portal, The Malaysian Insider, as a result of government harassment against independent journalism and violation of the 20-year Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) Bill of Guarantees of “No Internet Censorship”.

Malaysia was the subject of international news for these two events - not to Malaysia’s credit, but only to the national detriment in further undermining a plunging international reputation and image.

A sample of the adverse international reporting of the Malaysia’s first self-inflicted “black eye” on the arrest and deportation of the two ABC Australian journalists is as follows:

These are not the international publicity Malaysia needs after a prolonged bout of adverse bad news for Malaysia, starting with the still mysterious disappearance of MH 370 with 239 passengers and crew on board more than two years ago – followed by the shooting down of MH 17 killing all 283 passengers and 15 crew on board four months later.

Has Malaysia’s international image and reputation not gone South enough in the past two years, and are Malaysians content to see our international reputation to continue travel South and deep like the disappeared MH370?

I have seen the video of the ABC journalist Linton Bresser questioning Prime Minister Najib in Kuching last Saturday which showed that the journalists did not breach any security cordon, as claimed by police.

Bresser, who had joined a group of press photographers who crowded around Najib as he got out of his car to enter a Kota Sentosa mosque, had asked Najib:

“Hello Mr Prime Minister, it’s ABC Australia. I’m wondering if you could explain the hundreds of million in your account?”

Bresser was ignored by Najib who continued walking with a stony face.

“Hello, Mr Prime Minister, can you explain all the hundreds of million of dollars in your account? Mr Prime Minister?” Bresser asked again.

At this point, the police intervened. There was no security cordon as claimed by the police nor did Bresser “aggressively” approached Najib, as claimed by the police.

The video shows that the excuses which have been given by the various Ministers, including the Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi and the Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Datuk Hamzah Zainuddin were groundless.

The DAP MP for Batu Kawan, Kasthuri Patto, had asked a most pertinent question – why taking selfies with Prime Minister Najib is okay but asking question is not, why the Prime Minister is busy going to the ground in Sarwak to “meet the people” so that they can shake his hand and take selfies, but when two Australian journalists ask questions about the 1MDB scandal, suddenly it’s considered a crime.

Will Malaysians be arrested for asking Najib questions about the RM55 billion 1MDB and RM2.6 billion donation twin mega scandals in his walkabouts, especially in the run-up as well as during the Sarawak general elections campaign?

Najib and Malaysia have not come out of the deplorable episode over the two ABC Four Corners journalists pursuing answers on Najib’s 1MDB scandal smelling like a rose.

I call on Najib to present a Ministerial statement in Parliament on what lessons his government has learnt from the international Public Relations misadventure – in fact, a “disaster” – over the arrest and deportation of the two ABC Four Corners journalists and whether Najib is prepared to come full and clean to the teeming questions about his twin mega scandals in the current Parliament, as they are the root cause of his government’s latest PR disaster?